Been hearing many good reviews about Medanese cuisine. Indonesians also said that Medan people are the most picky when it comes to eating because they have the best food in their hometown. A close friend of mine lived in Medan and we decided to visit her for two days (since aside from food, there's nothing much you can do in the small town). Our friend was so excited that she fed us 11 times in those 2 days (basically 24 hours!). We couldnt say no to eating because the food was soooooooo good. Thus, I declared that Medan has one of the best culinary in Indonesia!
Medan is the 3rd largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta and Surabaya. It is also the largest city outside of Java. The new airport Kuala Namu International Airport (KNO) was recently opened in July 2013 and I was surprised that it was really clean and well organized, even better than Jakarta's airport. The downside of the airport is that it is in the outskirts of Medan and it would take about an hour to get there.
Before my visit to Medan, my impression of the town would be that it is an extremely small town that barely has anything. Medanese people always complain that there's nothing much you can do there. Much to my surprise, Medan is not as bad as I thought. Okay, maybe the awesome food is the only raving thing about the town. But there's still some 'touristy' areas you can visit if you are willing to drive - the most famous would be Danau Toba (Lake Toba). It is not a metropolitan city like Jakarta, but it does has few high rise buildings and malls that is definitely much better than other cities. It is a pretty decent city.
Here are the 11 delicacies we had in the 2 stays we were in Medan:
1. Ondo - Batak Food
Our first stop is trying out Batak food. The pork ribs and crispy fried pork are the best of the 2 dishes. Unfortunately, I did not take picture of it. :(.
2. Rujak, Sate Ayam & Kambing, Buah Es & Lemper - Kalimantan Mas
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| Lemper Ayam (sticky rice filled with shredded chicken wrapped in pandan leaf) |
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| Es buah (Fruit drink) |
Not a big fan of this fruit drink as the drink is really sweet from the syrup. So this is just a variety of fruits combined in a glass with sweet sryup. mehh.
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| Sate Ayam & Kambing (marinated chicken/lamb meat in a skewer) |
The difference between Medanese Sate and Jakarta Sate is the sauce. This sate sauce is really thick and it is orange in color, different from Jakarta sate sauce that is dark brown. I am not sure what the sauce is made up from, but it sure taste super good! Not a big fan of sate because they are usually sweet from the dark soy sauce, but this one is pretty good (not too sweet)!
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| Rujak (Indonesian fruit salad serves with thick spicy peanut sauce) |
This is another Indonesian delicacy called Rujak. I believed Malaysia & Singapore have the same dish. Not a big fan of this because you have to dip the fruits in the thick dark peanut sauce with a little sour taste (vinegar?), which seems really weird for me. Why do you mix sweet fruits with sour & salty sauce?! Aside from that, the fruits are sweet, so I just ate it without the sauce.
3. Durian Pancake - Mei Cin
The first bite of this durian pancake sent me to heaven right away. IT TASTE OH MY GOSH SO GOOOOOOD! When my friend mentioned that we were going to eat durian pancake, I thought it was flat durian flavored pancake. I was wrong. I dont know how they make this but it is basically durian meat wrapped in a thin dumpling-like skin. This delicacy was the highlight of my trip - definitely one of the best I have eaten. You'll bite through the soft skin and into the durian meat tasting so goooood.
4. Avocado Juice - Macehat
Unfortunately, I did not take picture of this drink because it taste too good that I forgot. On our way to our dinner place, our host decided to stop by a cafe and ordered avocado juice. We initially did not want it because we were still full from our previous meals. I was glad she still bought it. This avocado juice is sinfully good - blended avocado with chocolate syrup, tiny chocolate bits and another chocolate component. So good and yet so unhealthy.
5. Bubur Ayam, Mie Pangsit & Nasi Hainam - Selat Panjang
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| Bubur Ayam (chicken porridge), Mie Pangsit (chicken noodle) & Nasi Hainam (hainanese chicken rice) |
Though we were still extremely full from our meals #1 thru 4, we decided to go for dinner. We ordered Bubur Ayam (chicken porridge), Mie Pangsit (chicken noodle) & Nasi Hainam (hainanese chicken rice). All taste really flavorful and on the spot for our Indonesian tongues. Yummmm.. My favorite would be the chicken noodle (because I love noodle). Though every food we had are flavorful, I dont think they have MSG in it since we dont feel thirsty after eating that much.
6. Martabak Tipis Chocolate - Martabak Pirjing Murni
Our first dessert after dinner #1 would be trying out the Martabak tipis, chocolate flavored (chocolate flavored thick crepes). I think it was okay since I am not a big fan of the chocolate. The cheese crepes would taste better.
7. Kwetiau - Kwetiau Jie Mei
Our 2nd dinner for the night is getting 3 Kwetiau (fried flat rice noodle) for the 4 of us - 2 without any toppings and 1 regular fried kwetiau cooked with pork sausage and vegetables. One thing about this dish is that it is very oily and yet tasty.
8. Durian - Durian Ucok
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| one pile of durians |
Our final dessert of the day is Durian feasting! This durian shop is unique - they will let you try the durian and if you are not satisfied with the taste, they will open another one free of charge until you are satisfied. The durians are sweet and soft. YUM!
9. Lontong Sayur Ah Hua - Pasar Beruang
Our first meal of day 2 is Lontong Sayur (rice cakes served with coconut milk curry) from a nearby marketplace. The soup is very flavorful and complement well with the rice cakes, vegetables and fried onions.
10. Bihun Bebek Kumango - A Sie
This is the dish that I've been dying to try. Medan is known for their bihun bebek (duck vermicelli soup). We visited the most famous bihun bebek and also happens to be the most expensive (IDR 50,000!) So this dish is served with the duck soup (naturally brewed) and the dry vermicelli topped with shredded duck meat, green onions and lots of fried garlic. BIG THUMBS UP!
11. Nasi Campur - Chasio Pui Asan
The final meal is Nasi Campur Medan style (Rice with BBQ & Fried Pork and gravy). The BBQ Pork is so soft and sweet while the Fried Pork has the right saltiness to it.
That marks the end of our culinary trip in Medan. Our tummies were never this satisfied and happy. Cant believe that 2 days is not enough! I would want to go back and eat all the good food over again.
Aside from that, we brought home Bolu Meranti (Cake rolls), Bika Ambon (dessert made from tapioca flour, eggs, sugar, yeast and coconut milk), & more Durian Pancakes!
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| GOODBYE MEDAN!~ |
With Lots of Love,
Claraaaa <3
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